


The Purple Sweater

by tabbytabbytabby



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Derek is a Softie, First Kiss, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Getting Together, Good Theo Raeken, Love Confessions, M/M, Mutual Pining, Sweaters, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-11
Updated: 2018-06-11
Packaged: 2019-05-20 19:41:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,558
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14900753
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tabbytabbytabby/pseuds/tabbytabbytabby
Summary: Theo starts wearing Derek's purple sweater whenever he comes over. Derek really can't say he minds it. Especially not when he notices how much it's starting to smell like Theo.





	The Purple Sweater

**Author's Note:**

> So this is all because of [this post](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/post/174765533248/glitter-cake20-oh-ffs-why-help-me-what-is) on tumblr. I couldn't get the thought of Theo in a purple sweater out of my head and my brain decided to Therek it.

The first time it happens, Derek barely thinks anything about it. Theo is over to hang out and watch a movie and complains about being cold. Derek tells him he can grab something to warm up. When Theo returns he’s wrapped up in Derek’s purple sweater. Derek stares a moment, eyes drawn to the way the purple stands out against his skin. Then he’s making himself look away, and that’s that.

Except then it keeps happening. It almost seems to be a habit for Theo to go in search of Derek’s purple sweater when he comes over. Derek can’t say he really minds it, in fact he _loves_ it. He loves seeing Theo wearing something that belongs to him and that his scent is left lingering on it. He wears the sweater so much that it’s starting to smell more like him than it does Derek.

That thought gives Derek pause. He looks over at where the sweater is hanging over the back of the armchair and grabs it. He brings it up to his nose and inhale deeply, closing his eyes as Theo’s intoxicating scent washes over him. Derek slips the sweater over his head and pulls the hood up before heading upstairs. He changes into a pair of sweats before crawling into bed. The scent of Theo is even stronger now that he’s wearing the sweater and surrounded by it.

Derek sighs, relaxing back into the pillows. He doesn’t bother pulling up the covers, already feeling more than warm enough in the sweater. Derek falls asleep with thoughts of Theo swirling through his mind.

The next day Derek leaves the sweater on the back of the chair where Theo had left it the night before. Theo walks in, his eyes scanning the room and a wide smile crossing his face when they land on the sweater. He walks over and immediately picks it up and slips it on.

“Hey Der,” Theo says, making his way over to the couch.

He falls back against it, snuggling up with his head on one end and his feet on Derek’s lap. Derek doesn’t even question it. He’s used to this behavior from Theo by now. Derek tries to subtly watch Theo. He sees when Theo raises his hand to scratch at his nose and stills, looking down at the sweater. He brings it up again and sniffs at it. Derek looks away before Theo can notice him watching but he can feel Theo’s eyes on him. He can see Theo movie out of the corner of his eye and has to fight a smile when Theo sighs and settles deeper into the couch, his nose resting against the sweater.

Derek starts sleeping in the sweater more often after that. Not all the time because he doesn’t want to make it obvious what he’s doing. Not that he’s even sure what his endgame is here. He just knows that he loves smelling like Theo and having Theo smell like him. And okay, maybe he’s a little bit in love with the guys. But that doesn’t have to mean anything, not when he has no idea how Theo himself feels.

Sometimes he’ll see the looks Theo gives him, or the soft smiles, or notice the way he reacts to Derek’s scent and hope will fill his chest. Other times he’s not so sure and doesn’t want to risk ruining their friendship over something that’s barely a possibility.

Eventually Derek slips up. He puts the sweater on and lays down on the couch, deciding to watch something on Netflix before he has to head upstairs to bed. Except he never makes it upstairs. He falls asleep halfway through an episode of Once Upon A Time.

When he wakes up it’s to Theo’s voice breathing out a quiet, “Oh wow.”

Derek frowns to himself, his eyes still shut tight against the onslaught of sun filtering into the room. Which doesn’t make sense. His window faces the other direction.

He slowly blinks his eyes open and sees Theo standing there staring at him. Well not him, per se, but down at Derek’s chest. Derek looks down and sees the bright purple sweater. Shit.

Derek looks back up to see Theo’s eyes now on his face, his confusion clearing as a smile slowly comes across his face, “That’s why it smells so much like you.”

Derek clears his throat and goes to sit up but Theo is crossing the room and pushing him back down on the couch before he can, “No, don’t.”

“Theo? What?”

Theo straddles Derek’s thighs and then his head goes down towards the hem of the sweater. Derek feels his heart speed up, wondering what the hell Theo is doing. He becomes even more confused when Theo pulls the sweater up and then ducks under it. There’s a lot of wiggling around before Theo’s head is popping out next to his.

“Theo, what the hell?” Derek says, his voice slightly higher than usual. He tries not to think about the way all of Theo’s wiggling around has affected him.

Theo grins up at him, “Now it’ll smell like both of us. No point in taking turns when we both can wear it, right?”

Derek wants to argue that it’s pretty impractical, and that they can’t go walking around in the sweater like this. Then he notices the slight hesitation in Theo’s eyes, as if he’s worried Derek’s going to freak out and kick him out at any moment.

Derek just smiles, bringing a hand up to card through Theo’s hair, watching the way Theo’s eyes momentarily close before opening to meet his, “I always want it to smell like us.”

“Yeah?”

Derek smiles, “Yeah.”

Theo’s eyes search his face and then he’s leaning up as best as he can and placing a feather light kiss to the corner of Derek’s mouth. Derek moves his head, meeting Theo’s lips in a more thorough kiss. The angle is a little awkward but Derek thinks it’s worth it to finally be kissing Theo.

“Is that something we can do always too?” Theo asks.

Derek chuckles, kissing Theo’s nose, “I’d hope there would be plenty of kisses in our future. And more.”

“More like…boyfriend things?”

“Yeah Theo, like boyfriend things,” Derek says.

“Oh good. Glad we’re on the same page. It would have been a little awkward to sneak under someone’s sweater and then make out with them when they’re not even into me.”

“I’m more than into you,” Derek tells him. “And if I didn’t want you under here you wouldn’t have made it as far as you did.”

“Good point,” Theo says, then smirks “How much more than into me are you?”

“Are you going to make me say it?”

Theo looks thoughtful for a moment before he shakes his head, “Not if you don’t want to.”

Derek has to smile at that. He’d been joking, but it’s nice to know that Theo respects him enough to not try and push him for something he’s not ready for.

“I love you,” Derek says, his eyes soft as he gazes down at his boyfriend.

Theo’s breath catches in his throat as he looks at Derek in a mixture of awe and disbelief, “Really? You love me?”

“Yeah Theo, I do. Would you like me to break out into _Can’t Fight This Feeling_ to help aid my declaration?”

Theo huffs out a laugh, shaking his head in amusement, “As interesting as I think that could be, I think we can save the serenading to another time.”

“Nope,” Derek says, his lips twitching as he fights a smile, “It’s a one time offer.”

“Nah I don’t think so,” Theo says, “You love me, you’d do anything for me.”

“I never said that,” Theo raises an eyebrow and Derek sighs, “Fine, I would. But you’d seriously regret asking me to serenade you after you heard me sing.”

“It’d be amazing just because it’s coming from you,” Theo tells him.

Derek rolls his eyes, “Already getting sappy on me.”

“Yeah well, I save the sappiness for the people I love. And there aren’t a lot of them. Meaning there’s just one. At least romantically.”

Derek’s starting to think Theo’s been spending too much time with Stiles if he’s starting to ramble like this, He pushes that thought aside and takes Theo’s face between his hands, “Theo, it’s okay. I know.”

Theo lets out a deep breath and nods, “That was the worst way to say I love you.”

“I doubt it’s _the_ worst,” Derek says, “And it got the point across. That’s what matters.”

“Maybe,” Theo sighs, “but in case it got lost in translation, I love you too.”

“It didn’t but that doesn’t mean I don’t love hearing you say it again,” Derek murmurs, kissing Theo softly.

Theo sighs, leaning into the kiss. When they pull back Theo settles down with his head in the crook of Derek’s neck and his arms wrapped around his waist.

“I love that the hoodie smells like us but being here with you, surrounded by your scent, is definitely better,” Theo mumbles.

Derek can’t help but agree. He drifts off again with Theo’s scent and warmth surrounding him, and knows that this is something real. This is something he’s allowed to have. And it’s all thanks to a purple sweater.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Kudos/Comments make my day. ♥  
> [My tumblr](http://tabbytabbytabby.tumblr.com/)


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